The prices for electricity and gas have only known one direction for a few weeks: upwards, the OÖN reported. The Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) takes a critical view of this development: “If prices remain at the current level, business models with high energy consumption at home will no longer be sustainable,” said Joachim Haindl-Grutsch, Managing Director of the interest group, today, Friday, at the traditional annual press conference the IV. Together with IV President Axel Greiner, Haindl-Grutsch described the situation of the industry in our federal state.
Upper Austria’s industry with 415,000 employees is particularly energy-intensive, said Haindl-Grutsch. In 2019, the total energy consumption of the manufacturing area was around 100,000 terajoules. This corresponds to almost a third of the state’s total energy consumption. Industries that require a lot of electricity and gas include metal production and processing, the paper industry, the chemical industry and the manufacture of glass, ceramics and cement.
The interest group calls on politicians to counteract energy prices, for example by reducing taxes. With regard to the transformation of the energy and mobility system, this is just as necessary as “timely infrastructural requirements”. The IV aims for faster approval procedures for new buildings and extensions.
At the beginning of the new legislative period, the industry would like “three master plans” from state politics: firstly, a return to zero deficit after the pandemic and more digitization in administration, secondly, better training and further education on the labor market and thirdly, more speed in the expansion of transport , energy and data infrastructure.
Source: Nachrichten
